The war of self-defense and counterattack against Vietnam was the only war that Deng Gong actually made in his life. On January 1, 1979, China and the United States formally established diplomatic relations, and soon after Deng Gong accepted an invitation to visit the United States, he talked about the possibility of military punishment of Vietnam in the United States. After returning to China, Deng Gong immediately set out for the military deployment on the Vietnamese border, but what was surprising was that two days before the outbreak of the counterattack against Vietnam, the domestic and foreign media released telegrams one after another: Wang Bicheng, commander of the Kunming Military Region, and Yang Dezhi, commander of the Wuhan Military Region, were in tune.
In the CMC's decision, the PLA will launch an offensive against Vietnam from the east and west fronts. The Eastern Front was under the responsibility of the Guangzhou Military Region, with General Xu Shiyou as the commander-in-chief. General Xu Shiyou was a well-known tiger general, although he was old, his prestige did not diminish that year, and he had long been holding his breath to teach this group of white-eyed wolves in Vietnam a lesson, and he deserved to be the commander-in-chief of the Eastern Front.
The Kunming Military Region was in charge of the Western Front operations, so Wang Bicheng, commander of the Kunming Military Region, was the only choice for the commander-in-chief. However, just two days before the start of the war, Wang Bicheng, who was in Kunming, suddenly received an order from Deng Gong to confront Yang Dezhi. At this time, the war in southern Xinjiang was about to start, and changing generals in the front was a big taboo for the soldiers, as the only battle that Deng Gong actually made, why did he make such a decision, and was general Wang Bicheng's strength not enough?
In the 1960s and 1970s, the Vietnamese army repeatedly provoked incidents on the border, sneaked into our border posts, and killed and wounded more than 200 Chinese soldiers and civilians. In order to combat the arrogance of the enemy, Wang Bicheng prepared day and night, and even caused the recurrence of old diseases. Sitting in Yunnan for several years, he knew more about the terrain of the Sino-Vietnamese border than anyone else, and wang Bicheng was somewhat reluctant in his heart when he was temporarily replaced. As for why it was replaced, there are probably three reasons.
First, Wang Bicheng is a good fighter, but he is not good at handling government affairs
Among the senior generals of our army, Wang Bicheng was good at fighting big battles and dangerous battles, and was called "Wang Tiger" by the generals. During the Period of the New Fourth Army, Wang Bicheng was a well-known general, and the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Columns of the New Fourth Army were commanded by Ye Fei, Wang Bicheng, and Tao Yong, respectively, and had the reputation of "Ye Wang Tao Three Tiger Generals". In the Liberation War, Meng Lianggu encircled and annihilated the enemy's 74th Division, and Wang Bicheng made a request to Huaye's chief: "To fight the enemy's 74th Division, we must not forget the 6th Column!" "Meng Lianggu killed 30,000 enemy soldiers in the First World War, of which 6 columns led by Wang Bicheng destroyed more than 5,700 people, making great achievements.
Although Wang Bicheng fought fiercely, because of his fiery temper, he caused some unnecessary trouble. In 1955, Wang Bicheng was awarded only the rank of lieutenant general. Wang Bicheng was not satisfied, and went to the relevant leaders to intercede, and as a result, he was criticized by education. After several years at the helm of the Kunming Military Region, Wang Bicheng still spoke straight and offended some of his subordinates. One division commander once complained: "If Wang Bicheng were to be the commander-in-chief, I would not listen to him." ”
Second, the legendary relationship with Xu Shiyou is not harmonious
Wang Bicheng and Xu Shiyou were fellow countrymen and were once the closest comrades-in-arms. In 1927, the two participated in the Hubei Jute Uprising at the same time, and later joined the Red Guards together, and although the two belonged to different units, they still remembered this nostalgia.
Gradually, however, Xu Shiyou had some views on Wang Bicheng, believing that Wang Bicheng was too high-profile and not as close as before. Once after the founding of New China, when he went to Beijing for a meeting, Wang Bicheng took the initiative to extend his hand to Xu Shiyou, who did not look at his hand or raise his hand, and replied: "Not good." "It was very embarrassing for those present. During the special period of ten years, the two worked together in the Nanjing Military Region, and were seduced by some bad people, and the relationship became worse and worse.
When the time came to the preparatory stage of the counterattack against Vietnam, Wang Bicheng was suddenly transferred to the Wuhan Military Region, and when he learned that the commander-in-chief of the Eastern Front was Xu Shiyou, the two knots became entangled again. It was not until 1984, at a meeting of the Communist Party of China in Nanjing, that Wang Bicheng elaborated on the misunderstanding with Xu Shiyou, and the two laughed and hated each other.
Third, Yang Dezhi is more suitable to serve as the commander-in-chief than Wang Bicheng
Yang Dezhi was more senior than Wang Bicheng and had a higher status in the army, and as the commander-in-chief of the east and west fronts, Xu Shiyou was a general, and Yang Dezhi was also a general.
On the other hand, Yang Dezhi is more familiar with the situation in Vietnam. As a former little brother of our country, Vietnam has many commanders and fighters in its army who have come to China to study. Yang Dezhi personally went to northern Vietnam to teach Vietnamese officers military techniques. Deng Gong asked Yang Dezhi to lead the army to fight, just like the master bullying the apprentice, a dimensionality-reducing blow.
With these three reasons, it is reasonable for Deng Gong to change the coach. Although Wang Bicheng was somewhat aggrieved, he still accepted the orders of the Central Military Commission. Not only that, Wang Bicheng also went through the "back door" once before leaving, sending his son and daughter to the front line, and even his pregnant daughter-in-law also asked miao to fight, Wang Bicheng sighed greatly: "I can't participate in the war, just let the three and a half people in my family participate in the war, and his wish can be fulfilled!" ”
On February 17, 1979, the self-defense counterattack against Vietnam began, and hundreds of thousands of soldiers on the east and west fronts bravely killed the enemy, and won the war in only one month, fighting 40 years of peace!